Combined chair and stringer



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. K. LAKE.

COMBINED 0mm AND STBINGER.

(Np Model.)

Patented Aug. 4, 1885 jmvenfar" win eases:

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. K. LAKE.

COMBINED CHAIR AND STRINGER. No. 323,430. Patented Aug. 4, 1885.

2Q joint between the rails a section of metal or Nilh STATES ATENT @rrrca JAMES Ii. LAKE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

COMBINED CHAIR AND STRINGER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 323,430, dated August 1885.

(No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES K. LAKE, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, and a citizen ofthe United States, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Combined Chair and Stringer, of which the following is a full description, reference being bad to the'accom pan yin g drawings, in which- Figure l is a side elevation of the device; Fig. 2, a top or plan view; Fig. 3, a cross-section; Fig. 4, a detail in section of the rail, hard plate, and chair-top; Figs. 5 and 6, de tails showing the hard plate.

This invention is designed, primarily, for use in the construction of the tracks of a street-railway, and has for its objects to make in effect a continuous rail by interposing between the ends of wooden stringers at the other hard and strong ntaterial adapted to receive at each end the end of the stringer, and form between the ends of the stringers and on each side of the rail-joint a firm support, by which the ends of the rails will be held against the pressure of the wheels, and the consequent breaking or splintering of the ends of the rails from the blows of the wheels will be prevented; and a further object is to enable a proper expansion and contraction of the rail to be had without disturbing its hearings on the chair and stringers; and its nature consists in the construction and the combination of parts, hereinafter particularly described, and then specified by the claims.

In the drawings, A represents the combined chair and stringer, formed of any hard metal or material, and having, as shown, a center support or standard and a support or standard at each end, the center support being the end supports doubled. The standards A at the center and end may be formed of flanges or ribs standing at right angles to each other, and the end standards are connected to the center standards by longitudinal webs A", and at their lower end each standard is provided with a web or plate, A, which forms a base through which bolts or spikes are passed to attach the chair and stringer to a supporting plank or piece.

The combined chair and stringer may be cast or otherwise formed into shape, and when completed it has an upper face, a, to receive the bottom of the plate portion of the rail, and a flange or head, a, over which the rib or outer flange of the rail fits. As shown, the end face of each end standard, A, has a plane face or surface, 0,, against which the end of the wooden stringer comes, and the flange or plate at the base of the end plate, a, is provided with flanges (6, between which the lower edge of the wooden stringer fits, which flanges hold the stringer at the bottom.

B is a plate, of casehardened steel or other hard material, located midway of the combined chair and stringer A longitudinally in a slot, B, formed in the top or upper plate, a, of the chair and stringer A, and having in its plate portion slots 12 and on its outer edge a rib or flange, b, which, when the plate is in position 011 the chair, coincides with the flange or rib a, and the slots b coincide with slots 21 through the top or plate a.

O are the rails having a plate portion, 0, which fits the plate a, and a rib or outer flange, c, the under face of which is provided with a groove or recess corresponding to the flange a, into which such flange fits. Each rail, at or near the end, has a hole or opening for the passage of a bolt, 0, the stem of which passes down through the slot 1) in the plate B and slot 1: in the plate a, and the end of the bolt has a slot, through which a key, (1, passes, the upper edge of the key engagingthe under face of'the plate a, and the key having a taper, so that as forced in itwill act and draw the end of the rail snugly in contact with the upper face of the plate B and the plate a, the flange of the rail passing over the rib or flange I) of the plate B. The bolts c,passing through the slots 0 b, are free to slide back and forth therein, going with the rail as it contracts or expands, and the ends of the rail come at the center, or nearly so, of the bearing-plate B. so that such ends have a firm bearing beneath thennwhich will not be easily indented or worn by the striking of the ends of the rail by the wheels.

D isa plank or piece corresponding in length to the length of the chair and stringer A, and to which the chair and stringer is firmly secured by bolts or spikes e, passing through the flanges 01' plates a.

- ends of the rail some distance each side of the joint, and the plate B is to be of sufficient length to receive the bolts c,passing through the ends of the rail and through the plate B and plate a, and this plate B, being made of hard material, will not yield to the constant thrust of the ends of the rail from the action of the wheels, but will prevent such thrust from occurring, as it tends to maintain the ends of the rail on the same,level,and, in case it becomes worn by constant use, it can be readily taken out and replaced by a new plate, bringing the ends of the rail again to the same level, thus providing a smooth traveling surface the entire distance of the track.

The bolts and keys by which the ends of the rails are secured in place furnish a ready means for tightening the rail in case it becomes loose, or removing the rail and replacing it by a new one, as all that is necessary to be done is to remove a portion of the pavement or roadway on the outside of the track at a point adjacent to the joint of the rails and drive the key in, thus tightening a loose rail or removing a portion of the pavement or roadway on each side and driving the key out, withdrawing the bolt, replacing the rail by a new one, and inserting the bolt and securing it by the key, the removed pavement or roadway being again replaced after the repairs have been made.

The timber or plank underneath the chair and stringer, and on which it is supported, is of sufficient length to extend across three or more tics, by which means the weight at the joint of the rails will be equalized and carried by all of the tics,instead of only by the center one, as it will be seen that the force at the joint is expended over the entire length of the chair and stringer A, and from thence to the timber or piece D onto the ties which support it. v

This combined stringer and chair can be used in connection with tracks already laid, having wooden stringers,by simply removing a sufficient length of the stringers between the ends for the insertion of the chair and stringer, and by the use of this combined chair and stringer a level and even surface is provided and the track is maintained in a level condition at the point where it usuallybreaksdown at the ends of the adjoining rails, and by using a removable plate, B, the maintaining of the ends of the rails on a level and preventing ill effects Irom the blows of the wheel is insured, and by attaching the rails by the bolts 0 and keys d, of a wedge shape, the repairing of the track in case a rail becomes loose or broken, is easily accomplished.

Other stringers than wooden ones can be used. l

\Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A combined chair and stringer, A, having a flange or head, a, and formed at its base with flanges a, substantially as described.

2. The combined chair and stringer A, in combination with the hardened plate B, for supporting the ends of the rails, substantially as specified.

3. The combination, with the chair an stringer A and rails'O, of the removable bolts 0, having their ends slotted, and the wedgekeys d, passing through the slots of the bolts, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with the chair andstringe-r A, plate B, and rails G, of the bolts 0 and wedge-keys d, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

5. The combination, with the chair and stringer A and rails O, of the timber or piece D, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

JAMES K. LAKE.

WVitnesses:

O. W. BOND, ALBERT H. ADAMs. 

